Always check the source of information before you share it. A common method you can use to verify sources is called the CRAAP method. It helps you spot CR… bad information.
Currency: How recent is it? For example, during a crisis, you want information that’s as up-to-date as possible.
Relevance: Is it written at the right level for the audience? Is it really about the topic, or something else?
Authority: Who wrote it? Are they qualified to speak on this topic?
Accuracy: Is it true? Can you find evidence for the claims in other reputable sources?
Purpose: Why was it written? Did the author have biases you should consider?
When you come across what might be bunk science… put it through the CRAAP test.
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Remember: Check the source of information before you share it.
Just because something is on the internet, doesn’t make it true.
A recent study found 80% of participants cared about sharing only accurate content online. And yet a lot of misinformation is out there!
The solution? A simple nudge to think about accuracy could help stop the spread.
In the same study, participants split into two groups.
Group 1 answered how likely they were to share 24 different news headlines on Facebook. This was the control group.
Group 2 rated the accuracy of a single headline. Then they were asked the same question as Group 1, how likely they were to share 24 different headlines. This was the treatment group.
Researchers found that Group 2 shared way less fake news than Group 1.
So the next time you are about to repost a juicy story, ask yourself, “is this accurate?” before you share.
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Most people don’t WANT to share false information. By taking a moment to reflect on whether something is accurate, we can reduce how much misinformation we spread.
So, before clicking that share button, just think!
Chances are someone you care about has been affected by breast cancer – it’s one of the leading causes of death from cancer for women across Canada (13).
But early diagnosis is the key to recovery, which starts with awareness. Let’s start by getting our facts right by debunking some myths about breast cancer.
We’re working on a video on how to perform a self-exam. We’ll include why this useful tool has its limitations. Stay tuned!
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Chances are someone you care about has been affected by breast cancer.
Family dinners can be scary, but they don’t have to be. If you find yourself in a tense conversation over the holidays here are a few tips that might help you navigate it a little easier.
It’s important not to shame the person. Ideally, you want to have a conversation, actively listening to each other and trying to find some common ground.
Be empathetic, it’s a vulnerable thing to have your values questioned and it can make people defensive.
Pick your battles, not every situation is ideal for talking things through and sometimes it’s better to just change the subject. It may be best to wait for a moment when you can talk to the person alone, without distractions. This might also help make them feel less “on the spot”.
If the conversation goes well, feel free to ask if you can share some credible information with them. It’s important to ask their permission first.
Lead with your relationship and be patient. This is someone you care about even if you can’t manage to see eye to eye. Change doesn’t happen in an instant.
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Family dinners can be scary, but they don’t have to be.#ScienceUpFirst
Have you ever felt uncomfortable or embarrassed with a decision/action you made?
You might have experienced cognitive dissonance, which describes the feeling of unease or discomfort one experiences when their actions/behaviours contradict their beliefs/values (1,2,3).
Here are some examples of situations that can result in feelings of discomfort (e.g. guilt, shame, embarrassment, anxiety, anger, irritability) due to cognitive dissonance (2,4):
Being against animal cruelty, but still craving hamburgers.
Wanting to be healthy, but not exercising.
Buying fast fashion, despite knowing the repercussions.
Cognitive dissonance can arise from (2,3,4):
Social or work expectations that you don’t agree with (i.e. peer pressure, FOMO).
Learning new information.
Making a decision.
An investment of time, money, or effort.
Addiction
Because the feelings associated with cognitive dissonance are so uncomfortable, we tend to want to avoid them. This can lead people to (2,5):
Seek information that confirms their existing beliefs (i.e. confirmation bias (6)).
Hide their beliefs or actions from others to avoid shame or guilt.
Change their beliefs to justify their behaviours.
Cognitive dissonance can play an important role in the spread of misinformation. When confronted with facts that challenge their misconceptions, people may experience discomfort and, to alleviate it, might resist accepting accurate information that contradicts their beliefs or seek out more information to rationalize their behaviour (7,8).
Cognitive dissonance, in of itself, is not a bad thing as it can help you change unwanted behaviours. When faced with cognitive dissonance, try to (2,3):
Acknowledge it.
Identify the conflicting ideas.
Reflect on what you can do to alleviate it.
Decide if you want to change your behaviour, mindset or beliefs.
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Have you ever felt uncomfortable or embarrassed with a decision/action you made?
You might have experienced cognitive dissonance. But what is it? #ScienceUpFirst
Just because two points of view are presented side by side, doesn’t mean they are equal. ⚖️
False balance, false equivalency, or bothsidesism is a bias where two opposing facts/ideas are given the same amount of interest or presented as equally valid, even when the evidence for one side is stronger (1,2,3).
This has been seen, among other places, in climate change, gender, abortion, vaccine, and masking discussions (4,5,6,7,8).
Impartiality in journalism is important for an informed society and enables people to make the best decision for themselves (9,10). But presenting two sides as being equivalent, even when the evidence says they are not, is misleading and certainly doesn’t allow for truly informed decision making (3,9,11,12).
In fact, false balancing can lead the public to (3,5,13,14):
Doubt the scientific consensus.
Have difficulty distinguishing truth from falsehood.
Believe the problem is less serious than it actually is.
Have a tendency toward the most comforting option.
(See also the doubt mongering tactic – 15)
Media is often accused of having an agenda if they give more weight to a specific angle. For example, the fact that climate change is caused by humans. But that likely has less to do with an agenda and more with the collective knowledge of a community of scientists built throughout the years – AKA the scientific consensus (16).
Thus when presenting both viewpoints there should be an emphasis on the expert consensus (5,13). This has been shown to help correct misperceptions (13,17,18).
Next time you see two points of view presented as being equally valid, ask yourself (2):
What is the scientific consensus on the topic?
Are the interviewed experts speaking outside their field of expertise?
What are other sources saying?
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False balance, false equivalency or bothsidesism is a bias where two opposing facts/ideas are given the same amount of interest or presented as equally valid, even when the evidence for one side is stronger.#ScienceUpFirst#SciLit
You may have heard or already been affected by Meta and Google blocking Canadian news online in response to Bill C-18.
No, that does not mean that news is being censored in Canada. It means that for an indeterminate period of time (until an agreement is struck) news won’t automatically appear on your Facebook or Instagram feed. You will have to count on other platforms or go directly to the source instead.
But do you know why this is happening and why Bill C-18 was drawn in the first place? Canada isn’t the first place where news has been blocked in such a way and is unlikely to be the last as governments worldwide are locking horns with news aggregators like Meta and Google.
Whether you agree that the law would achieve what it intended to do or not, it’s important to understand the context in which it is happening.
It’s also a good opportunity to reconsider our news consumption habits. Check out some tips on the last slide.
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You may have heard or already been affected by Meta and Google blocking Canadian news online in response to Bill C-18.
Have you ever asked yourself “Are condition, syndrome, disease, illness, and disorder words used to describe different things, or are they all synonyms?”.
Well, we were curious, and here is what we found ☝️
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Have you ever asked yourself “Is a condition, a syndrome, a disease, an illness, and a disorder words used to describe different things or are they all synonyms?”.
Raise your hand if you are in need of some good news. ️
A recent study that spanned 16 countries and 6 continents investigated how effective different interventions were in fighting the spread of misinformation (1). The study found that:
Prompting people to consider accuracy reduced their likelihood of sharing misinformation on social media platforms.
Additionally, the study found that simple tips on how to spot misinformation can curb its spread (2).
This study is part of a growing body of evidence that points to the impact of misinformation interventions (3,4,5).
How can you help? The next time you come across a headline that is emotionally charged, lacks nuance, or sounds too good to be true, ask yourself, “Is this accurate?”. Does something still seem fishy? Consider the following:
Investigate the source. ️ Is the story written by a source whose reputation you trust? If the story comes from an unfamiliar organization, check their “About Us” section to learn more.
Inspect the dates. False news stories may link to out-of-date references or timelines that don’t make sense.
Look at other sources. Are other stories independently verifying the same report or are they all linking back to a singular article?
Is it a joke? The best of us have fallen for a well-placed April Fools’ joke. Double check what you are reading isn’t a parody.
Still have doubts? If you’re not 100% sure it’s legit, don’t share it. ♀️
If you’re here thank you for being part of this initiative – we are stronger when we are together against misinformation.
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Good news! Interventions to fight misinformation work!
Something as simple as prompting people to consider accuracy and providing tips to spot misinformation helps curb its spread.#ScienceUpFirst
Misinformation is omnipresent online and some people are making a very profitable business out of it.
Misinformers will use the social media platform as a way to redirect you to their webpage where they offer diverse products or subscriptions.
Misinformation is not a one person job, quite the opposite. Misinformers collaborate together and promote each other’s work, all to extend their reach and make more money.
Misinformation is a well organized web and falling for it means nothing about your intelligence. It takes a lot of time, energy and expertise to see the truth through that intricate network. All things we don’t always have a lot of. That’s why it is so important that you stop and think “Is this true?” before you share anything online.
Check out the Center for Countering Digital Hate at CounterHate.com or on Instagram at @counterhate to learn more about the disinformation dozen.
We were shocked looking at these numbers! What about you, did you know misinformers were making that much money from sharing misinformation? Let us know in the comments
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Would you be surprised if we told you some individuals are making a lot of money from misinformation (Including presidential candidates )?
A journal article retraction is when an article is removed after it has been published (1,2,3). The article might be retracted for multiple reasons, such as an honest error, research misconduct (i.e. falsification or fabrication), plagiarism, etc. (1,4).
Retractions are important to preserve scientific transparency and integrity and to ensure scientific rigour (4,5,6). ScienceUpFirst might not be an academic journal, but we strongly believe in these values.
Thanks to feedback from our audience we learned that information presented in our Placebo post might not reflect the best current literature, lacked nuances, and could be misinterpreted. For all these reasons, we have decided to remove our post on the Placebo effect.
Honest errors are the main reason papers get retracted (4). This post, like all our posts, has gone through all the same steps: research, writing, review, and expert vetting (7). But that doesn’t mean we are perfect.
Thanks to those who gave us notes so we can continue to put #ScienceUpFirst!
Worried a friend is caught in a web of conspiracy theories?
First up, that’s really tough and we are sorry
The good news is, people change their minds everyday. We break down the appeal of conspiracy theories and how to offer the people you care about a way out.
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People don’t just wake up one morning convinced “globalists run the Internet.” ️
To get to that point, they need to travel down the rabbit hole. ️
So what drives people toward conspiracy theories and extremism?#ScienceUpFirst
